]]>The country of New Zealand realized they can’t possibly stand up to the powerhouse that is the almighty Anna Faris, and backed down from their recent war-of-words with the sexy, fearsome star of The House Bunny.

According to her interview with Conan‘s super lame TBS talk show cousin George Lopez, Faris was harassed by rowdy New Zealander dudes watching her film recent cinema masterpiece Yogi Bear. From there, Faris concluded that all New Zealand guys are (CG animated) pigs, which Ian Long, spokesman for the New Zealand tourism board, took offense to.

Noting that Faris received an award for being a smoking hot pot smoker later on Lopez, Long said that since “she accepts an award for being a pothead stoner of the year… I don’t think she has any credibility.” His bosses weren’t pleased with that, and New Zealand released this official retraction:

“The inference that Tourism NZ did not take Ms. Faris’ comments seriously is very much regretted and was certainly not intended. On a U.S. talk show Ms. Faris spoke about disrespectful behavior she experienced during her stay in New Zealand and as a consequence her impression of New Zealand men is, to say the least, poor.”

When Bart Simpson pissed off Australia, they gave him a booting. I don’t think Faris was in the wrong, but I’d still like her to receive a booting. It beats an entire country pussying out on what could have been an awesome publicity war. Then again, when I think of “great wars,” none of them involve New Zealand. (Cinema Blend)

Jack Black must have been a very naughty boy this year, because Santa Claus shoved a giant piece of coal right up his stocking. Gulliver’s Travels 3D, Black’s latest film, came in seventh at the box office, earning only $7 million since Christmas. To add insult to injury, the film lost out to Yogi Bear, a punch-line of a film that’s been in theaters since December 17th. Although I guess there’s really no shame in failing to match the raw-star power of Dan Aykroyd. (Vulture)

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/gullivers-travels-lays-a-giant-3d-turd-at-the-box-office/feed/1gulliverstravels_p1Review: Yogi Bearhttp://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-review/review-yogi-bear/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-review/review-yogi-bear/#commentsFri, 17 Dec 2010 16:35:58 +0000http://www.screenjunkies.com/?p=12702The free screening of the Yogi Bear movie was almost too much for me. Now I have no attachment to the original cartoon but for anyone who did like it, this can’t be what you wanted.

The worst part about yogi bear is that at no point during the film does the bear ever do yoga. Not a Downward Dog pose, not an Upward Bow pose, not even a Warrior One. That is blatant false advertising to promise yogi bear and not even deliver. I would pay to see a bear doing yoga. The free screening of the Yogi Bearmovie was almost too much for me.

Now I have no attachment to the original cartoon but for anyone who did like it, this can’t be what you wanted. Yogi (voice of Dan Aykroyd) steals a few pic-a-nic baskets in the beginning, with Boo Boo (voice of Justin Timberlake) in tow. They never explain why they talk, only that Yogi’s smart, by which they can only mean he’s mastered Hooked on Phonics. Then it becomes a generic Hollywood plot, an excuse to hang the comedy on, but not a good excuse and not good comedy.

This is one of those movies where they have to save the park by raising enough money to stop the evil politicians. Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly) has run the city out of money by buying expensive suits, so he wants to sell Jellystone Park to developers. With Nate Corddry as his Chief of Staff, you end up watching two professional comedians exercising their Comedy 101. They’ve got this and it’s a paycheck so they just show the kids why they’re evil and fiddle with car windows.

Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) throws a firework gala to attract visitors and sell enough season passes to pay the park’s operating costs. This is his only attempt to save the park, so it’s not even a formula that sets up many trials and errors This is it, and Smith tries to keep Yogi and Boo Boo hidden, but Yogi waterskis while twirling a flaming baton so “hilarity ensues.”

There’s also a documentarian, Rachel (Anna Faris), shooting footage at Jellystone and making Smith goo-goo-eyed, and assistant ranger Jones (T.J. Miller) bumbling things up. Mayor Brown actually gets Jones to sabotage the park by promising him a job at the park he’s planning to tear down. Anyway, I’ll give you Ranger Smith but not four extra humans.

Yogi Bear is busy, loud and obnoxious. The 3D is gimmicky for kids with lots of nacho chips rubber bands and spit takes poking out of the screen. All the mugging and posing of the bears is just desperate. Every scene has to have humans bumbling, animated bears bouncing around and an obnoxious orchestral live-action cartoon score.

You can imagine Aykroyd and Timberlake doing the voices. Yogi sounds like he comes from a big comedy belly and Boo Boo is a tweaked up pop star sound. I’ll give it to Cavanagh, he goes all out with Smith’s embarrassing song and dance to Rachel. The best jokes are about butt thermometers.

At least it’s so predictable you know you’re in the home stretch when Yogi has to get Smith to come back to Jellystone. Sadly, it still takes forever to work out all this political nonsense, so you’re stuck for a full 90 minutes.

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-review/review-yogi-bear/feed/4YOGI-BEAR-MOVIEAnna Farishttp://www.screenjunkies.com/gallery/anna-faris/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/gallery/anna-faris/#commentsWed, 15 Dec 2010 19:35:05 +0000http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=Gallery&p=12423It’s not unlike Yogi Bear actress Anna Faris to walk on camera, throw down a few lines of funny, and subsequently commandeer the remainder of whatever movie/episode of a rapidly-declining HBO series she happens to be in.

]]>It’s not unlike Yogi Bear actress Anna Faris to walk on camera, throw down a few lines of funny, and subsequently commandeer the remainder of whatever movie/episode of a rapidly-declining HBO series she happens to be in. Obviously the cuteness aspect is a big factor in that equation, but no one’s keeping count.

A word from Anna: “I was never the class clown or anything like that. When I was growing up and doing theatre in Seattle I was always doing very dramatic work. Now I can’t get a dramatic role to save my life!”

]]>Few things represent a more perfect blend of morbidity, humor, and the corruption of one’s childhood memories than watching cartoon characters kill each other. In this alleged alternate ending to Yogi Bear, America’s favorite forest-dwelling picnic enthusiast is recast in the form of a troubled outlaw with a hankering for sweet, sweet death. Young Boo Boo, the Robert Ford to Yogi’s Jesse James, is there to deliver Yogi unto his maker.

In case you’re behind on your westerns, the clip is a parody of the acclaimed 2007 film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. And while comedia Paul Scheer is telling everyone that this is a genuine alternate ending to Yogi Bear, in reality the parody is the work of rogue animator Edmund Earle, whose name appears at the end of the clip. Bravo, Mr. Earle. Now make Tangled a story about a girl dealing with teenage pregnancy. (SlashFilm)

Outspoken comedian Neil Hamburger, a Tim & Eric favorite, has taken it upon himself to launch an anti-Yogi Bear tirade on his @neil_hamburger Twitter account. Neil doesn’t mince words in his explicit bursts of disgust over the live action/animated hybrid featuring Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake as the voices of Yogi and Boo Boo, respectively. I’ve picked out a few gems that nicely sum up his overall feelings, and might reflect some of the hate you experience upon subsequent viewings of the trailer and/or commercial. Check out 10 favorites below:

Gene Siskel to return from dead with one-off, half-star film review of “Yogi Bear.”

Patch Adams and Yogi Bear to team up to teach children the value of drinking ammonia-based cleansers.

So sad to see Dan Aykroyd sink so low…I have admired him since seeing his groundbreaking work in Britney Spears‘ “Crossroads” movie.

“Yogi Bear” becomes first film to be banned in Poland since “Hitler’s Giant Cock And Great Ideas Also” was banned from theaters in 1967.

Taco Bell to put Aykroyd and Timberlake’s feces into refried beans during December to help prepare fans for experience of watching film.

George W. Bush in “Decision Points”: “Say what you will, but no Yogi Bear movie was released during my 8-year Presidency.”

(CNN): Popov Vodka to sponsor asphyxiation of children heard complaining about Yogi Bear movie on school playgrounds.

Yep, that about sums it up. I’ve decided against railing on Yogi Bear anymore since it clearly wasn’t made for my demographic, but can I bask in other people’s spot-on impressions? Does a bear sh*t in the woods?

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/10-funniest-neil-hamburger-anti-yogi-bear-tweets/feed/0YOGI-BEAR-MOVIEThe ‘Yogi Bear’ Trailer Will Make You Sadhttp://www.screenjunkies.com/video/the-yogi-bear-trailer-will-make-you-sad/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/the-yogi-bear-trailer-will-make-you-sad/#commentsTue, 28 Sep 2010 07:02:09 +0000Watching the Yogi Bear trailer made me sad. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m too old to appreciate the film, or because a beloved memory from my childhood is...

Watching the Yogi Bear trailer made me sad. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m too old to appreciate the film, or because a beloved memory from my childhood is getting its proverbial “bikini area” fondled by CGI, but something was amiss. Funnyman Dan Aykroyd‘s name in the credits only added to the malaise. But the final straw was the “in 3D” message toward the end. Well, that or the crappy rap song in the background.

But hey, I don’t want to oversell this thing. Check out the cool new trailer for yourself! (Collider)
Get sad with the Yogi Bear trailer after the jump…

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/yogi-bear-poster-tag-comes-on-too-strong/feed/0Hey Kids, Here’s the ‘Yogi Bear’ Trailer!http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/hey-kids-heres-the-yogi-bear-trailer/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/hey-kids-heres-the-yogi-bear-trailer/#commentsWed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000Earlier today we showed you the poster for the hybrid live-action/animation adaptation of Yogi Bear, and now the trailer has dropped for you kids to enjoy! And make no mistake, it's specifically for you kids! There are CGI bears and real people co-existing in harmony in a national park with pies! Pies and pic-i-nic baskets!
The film stars Dan Aykroyd as Yogi, Justin Timberlake as Boo Boo, Tom Cavanagh as Park Ranger Smith, and Anna Faris as a documentary filmmaker looking to exploit the talking bears! Do you know what exploit means, kids?! No?! Well then you probably don't know what chloroform means either!
Yogi Bear sneaks into theaters December 17, 2010!
Check out the trailer after the jump!

Earlier today we showed you the poster for the hybrid live-action/animation adaptation of Yogi Bear, and now the trailer has dropped for you kids to enjoy! And make no mistake, it’s specifically for you kids! There are CGI bears and real people co-existing in harmony in a national park with pies! Pies and pic-i-nic baskets!

The film stars Dan Aykroyd as Yogi, Justin Timberlake as Boo Boo, Tom Cavanagh as Park Ranger Smith, and Anna Faris as a documentary filmmaker looking to exploit the talking bears! Do you know what exploit means, kids?! No?! Well then you probably don’t know what chloroform means either!

]]>http://www.screenjunkies.com/video/hey-kids-heres-the-yogi-bear-trailer/feed/0‘Yogi Bear’ Poster Destroys Beautiful Picnichttp://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/yogi-bear-poster-destroys-beautiful-picnic/
http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-news/yogi-bear-poster-destroys-beautiful-picnic/#commentsWed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000Warner Bros. has unleashed the new poster for the live-action/animated Yogi Bear feature film. It showcases Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake, in bear form, hanging out amidst a cornucopia of ravaged picnic baskets. The worst part about it is that everything is only half-eaten. If they're going to ruin a slew of Sunday outings, they should at least destroy all the evidence. Park Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) is going to have a sh*tfit when he sees what these mischievious bears have done. Real good example for Boo Boo, Yogi. REAL good.
Look for the trailer up later this afternoon. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some spoiled egg salad to attend to. (Yahoo)

Warner Bros. has unleashed the new poster for the live-action/animated Yogi Bear feature film. It showcases Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake, in bear form, hanging out amidst a cornucopia of ravaged picnic baskets. The worst part about it is that everything is only half-eaten. If they’re going to ruin a slew of Sunday outings, they should at least destroy all the evidence. Park Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) is going to have a sh*tfit when he sees what these mischievious bears have done. Real good example for Boo Boo, Yogi. REAL good.

Look for the trailer up later this afternoon. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some spoiled egg salad to attend to. (Yahoo)